Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper®is a super hot pepper developed by Founder, President, Mad-Scientist & Chef Smokin’ Ed Currie in his Rock Hill, South Carolina greenhouse. Measuring over 1.5 million on the Scoville Heat Unit Scale, Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper® was awarded the Guinness World Record in November of 2013. Read more about our Guinness World Record story here.

The flavor of Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper® has been described as a roasted sweetness delivering an instant level of heat never before achieved continuing with an increasing tidal wave of scorching fire that grips you from head to toe. Eyes glaze. Brows perspire. Arms flail. CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION!

Smokin’ Ed Cultivates a Company and a Pepper

1960s Smokin’ Ed Currie–Founder, President, Mad Scientist & Chef of PuckerButt Pepper Company–was born in New York, spent his early years in Pennsylvania and then lived the next 20 plus years in Michigan.

1980s Smokin’ Ed started investigating the possible correlation between personal life style habits and disease. This overwhelming interest was born from his family’s history of early death from heart disease and cancer. Smokin’ Ed found that indigenous populations from around the world who eat hot peppers with meals have extremely small instances of these diseases, prompting his focus on peppers as a delicious and healthy food staple.

1990s A few years later, and now located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Smokin’ Ed was raising 800 hot pepper plants in every spare inch at home and also at the homes of family, friends and neighbors. These peppers became great amounts of hot sauces, salsas, mustards, jellies & snacks. Everyone loved his creations and kept wanting more. He researched and experimented. He sampled and shared. Jars were bought. Labels were applied.

2000s One day, Smokin’ Ed’s wife, Linda, realized the ever-growing demand for his pepper products. They both concluded it was time to start a company.

One evening, Smokin’ Ed was driving Linda and a few of her friends to an event when the ladies began discussing an occasional after-effect of eating super hot peppers. Many jokes and laughs later, the name for their new company, PuckerButt Pepper Company, was born.

2010s The PuckerButt Pepper Company is a grower, harvester and producer of great-tasting all-natural pepper products including hot sauces, salsas, seeds, plants, mustards, jellies, seasonings & snacks. Our first store was a booth at Trader Marc’s and our second was a booth at Plaza Fiesta, both in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Since 2012, we have had a store in downtown Fort Mill, South Carolina, at 235 Main Street. Stop in & see what Smokin’ Ed is up to!

Smokin’ Ed gained the pepper industry’s attention in November 2011 when an NPR Reporter stopped by to eat an HP22B pepper–now known as Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper®. The reporter ate a small piece of the pepper, rolled around on the floor, hallucinated and then shared his experiences with the national media.

Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper® made global headlines in November 2013 when this super hot pepper, cultivated by Smokin’ Ed in his Rock Hill, South Carolina greenhouse, was awarded the Guinness World Record for the World’s Hottest Chili. It’s SHU averages at 1,569,300!

Smokin’ Ed’s Passion for Peppers Continues

Breeding experiments such as creating new pepper plant cultivars, some of which are producing the hottest peppers in the world are on-going. Smokin’ Ed’s pepper seed collection continues to grow. Humility is always on hand.

Growing tips, tricks and tales that all can share and make jokes about are always developing. Smokin’ Ed and his fellow Pepper gurus from around the world have contributed to our Growing Tips. If you have any pepper questions, feel free to contact us and our pepper gurus will help in any way we can. Humor is necessary in farming.

Savoring flavors of peppers & pepper recipes, and then enjoying the ensuing heat and its various effects on people is a daily event. If you hear Smokin’ Ed say “it’s not that hot,” you may want to taste just a tiny portion. If he says, “would you like some lime” or “blink twice if you can hear us,” it’s too late. Stop by our Fort Mill, SC store and join us for a sample of our smokin’ hot offerings. Smokin’ Ed drops in frequently and is always willing to talk peppers. We love to video the savoring and the hilarity and then post on our website for all the world to see. We love to see your experiences, so post your hot pepper hilarity to our Facebook page. Heat is so entertaining.

Sharing the cornucopia of super hot peppers with family, friends, communities, colleagues and the world is exactly how PuckerButt Pepper Company began. Smokin’ Ed loves to share peppers, products, his experiences and his ideas with others.